


Another Dinner Date

by Dreamy_Ideal



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, but not?, friends idk how to tag read the summary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-07 03:29:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14071941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamy_Ideal/pseuds/Dreamy_Ideal
Summary: Yixing's boss is excited to see his boyfriend Junmyeon at the dinner Yixing invited him to. The problem is Yixing and Junmyeon broke up a while ago and Yixing never said anything about it.





	Another Dinner Date

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on [this](https://twitter.com/toosooksoo/status/975404456505298944/) tweetfic I started that I ended up getting more invested in than I thought. It happens right?
> 
> Not one beta was involved in the making of this fic. Enjoy <3

Junmyeon showed up at his door an hour before dinner was supposed to start. Yixing’s first thought was that Junmyeon had gotten a little thinner since he’d last seen him in passing, and Yixing guessed that was stress. His second thought was that he had also gotten significantly more handsome. No, he had always been happen, he was just still able to blow Yixing away with it.

 

“Did you find any pictures?” Yixing stepped aside to let Junmyeon in. He took off his shoes and hung his black coat up on the nearby coat rack. Underneath it he wore black slacks and a dark plum colored shirt unbuttoned just enough to fit the look of business casual gathering at home. He was a brunette now, and his hair was softly brushed up out of his face and back, pulling his whole look together. He crooked an eyebrow up when he looked back and found Yixing staring and Yixing cursed inwardly. He had no business looking that damn handsome.

 

“Let’s see it.” One hand gripped the handles of a black canvas bag while the other hand was held out towards Yixing.

 

“Let’s see what?”

 

“See what--the contract you said you’d write.” Yixing sucked his teeth.

 

“Right to business.”

 

“Yes right to business, what do you think this is?”

 

“Can we at least do this in the living room?”

 

“I need to see if I like the terms first.”

 

The conversation was helping with bringing his irritation back. Yixing padded to his room and brought out the contract he slapped together 15 minutes before he left the office. Junmyeon snatched it from him when he brought it out and pulled his glasses out of his bag. Fuck he was cute again.

 

He pulled out his phone while he read, punching at it a few times blindly before lifting it to his ear. “Sehunnie.”

 

Sehunnie?

 

“Everything looks okay. I think I’m going to stay.” Junmyeon looked up at him and mimed a writing motion. Yixing didn’t move, perfectly ready to openly eavesdrop. “No, you don’t have to stay and wait I’ll be fine I’ll take the train home...No he’s not that kind of ex.”

 

“What kind of ex?”

 

Junmyeon made the pen motion again more insistently, frowning as he did it. Yixing frowned right back at him and did it a little harder just to prove a point before going to dig up a pen. He strained his ears to hear the rest of the conversation, maybe catch just who Sehunnie was to Junmyeon, but after guessing at the time he would finish and promising to call when he made it home Junmyeon hung up.

 

“Boyfriend?”

 

Junmyeon quirked his brow upwards again as he took the pen Yixing returned with and scrawled his name on the bottom of the contract next to Yixing’s name. “Do you want me to duplicate and laminate it or do you trust me enough to keep this safe?”

 

“Now that you mention it--”

 

Irritation again. “Please, really,  just come inside so we can get ready and talk.”

 

Junmyeon brushed past him as he walked into the apartment, letting him get a whiff of his cologne. It was something new on him and it smelled so wonderfully perfect. Fuck he was attracted again. He was already tired of the back and forth and the dinner hadn’t even started yet.

 

“Why don’t we talk about why you haven’t told anyone that we broke up?”

 

“It didn’t come up,” he lied. It sounded better than ‘I hoped you would come back and we would make up before it mattered to anyone’. “Baekhyun said he wanted to do this last interview over dinner and I invited him over. Then he said great I’ll bring Chanyeol and we can make it a double date can’t wait to see Junmyeon again and he was gone before I could correct him.”

 

Junmyeon’s face wrinkled up in thought. “Who thinks it’s a good idea to turn a final interview into a double date? I always said he could be a little too informal.”

 

“Right?” Yixing agreed with a nod, following Junmyeon into the kitchen. “We should have saved this for afterwards, when I got the job. But that gives me a chance to let my darling help me seal the deal.”

 

Wait, he was supposed to be irritated, not flirty. Dammit. He’d missed Junmyeon. Judging by the way he looked over his shoulder at Yixing Junmyeon didn’t feel anywhere close to the same way. Yixing pouted. “After this make sure to tell them we got into a huge fight about your secretary and broke up.”

 

Junmyeon started to unload his bag. He placed a bottle of wine on the counter, along with a stack of picture frames. “Go put those up,” he instructed Yixing. There were a few of them at parties Yixing had long forgotten and events for people he didn’t keep in contact with, but for the most part they were of Junmyeon and his friends and family, which made sense when he thought about it. They had to make it look like Junmyeon still lived there, of course there’d be more than pictures of just Yixing’s family.

 

They worked in silence, Yixing making room for pictures and Junmyeon familiarizing himself with the kitchen. “Why don’t you have anything cooking? Did you order?”

 

“I thought it would be nice if we cooked together,” Yixing answered when he returned to the kitchen. “I have all the ingredients in the fridge.” Junmyeon looked at him baffled for a second.

 

“You invited your boss over and you’re going to make him cook? I know this isn’t so serious but still, you tried to make your boss cook?” Yixing’s mouth opened a little bit.

 

“I tried to make my boss cook.” Yixing immediately knew why he was willing to do such a thing. He hadn’t kept Baekhyun in mind at all when he made the dinner choice, he thought that Junmyeon would like such a thing. He had to focus, keep in mind why he called Junmyeon in the first place. Promotion, promotion. Play the social game and climb the ladder and get his well deserved recognition.

 

“It’s okay, you’re charming enough to pull it off.”

 

Junmyeon said it so matter of factly but Yixing took it to heart. Did he still believe Yixing was charming or was he just saying--he had to focus. “Maybe we should start cooking now?”

 

“Yes. We can take turns cooking and entertaining. That way after dinner all the fun talk is out of the way and once Baekhyun is done with you I can start gently nudging them towards the door.”

 

“Oh, maybe you can get Chanyeol in here to help you, that way I can have Baekhyun alone while we wait and I can force the topic if he doesn’t bring it up.”

 

“Good good. Chanyeol...he’s that tall one? Sweet kid, started out wanting to go to law school but switched to become a pediatrician?”

 

“That’s him. He’s in his 3rd year.”

 

Yixing loved how easily they fell back into a rhythm, Junmyeon fishing for helpful details while Yixing got the kitchen ready to start dinner. His thoughts kept jumping back to the first dinner he had to put on and how that rhythm was instead a panicky whirlwind. Junmyeon with his cue cards for conversation topics and Yixing with a too ambitious dinner menu with enough course to keep them busy for days. It wasn't the most impressive of parties but together they were able to regain in the mess and pull it off. And with every one afterwards they got closer and closer to this, practically able to put it together without a word. 

 

“Do you have another sweater you can change into?”

 

He looked down at the yellow turtleneck he bought just for the night on his way home. “What’s wrong with this?”

 

“Besides it being mustard colored? Nothing at all.” Yixing opened his mouth to start an argument about Junmyeon’s own taste in clothes (on other occasions because fuck he really looked good right at that moment) but Junmyeon cut him off. “We should match a little more and I can't go home and change. Do you have something more autumn colored?”

 

It took a few tries but they were able to settle on a dark red sweater he had shoved into the back of his closet. He walked into the kitchen as he was pulling it down, and Junmyeon nodded approvingly. 

 

Junmyeon also let his gaze dip down to the flash of skin Yixing gave him before he got the sweater fully on, but Yixing kept that observation and his grin to himself. He watched as Junmyeon stepped close to him and, after a second of hesitation, reached out to fix his hair. Yixing began to fidget out of habit and a need to distract his mind a bit.

 

His heart still raced being closer to Junmyeon. Hating him was hard work for him, this was easy. Falling right back in love with him. He told himself it wasn't a bad thing anyway, they were going to have to pretend to be head over heels in love in a few minutes. All the best lies had a little bit of truth to them. 

 

“Anything different with you? Baekhyun might ask about you when we're alone. I don't want to get anything wrong.”

 

“Besides my struggling bakery you knew about somehow?” Yixing's eyes darted away from Junmyeon’s questioning face. “Not really. I started going back to school for business management--”

 

“How is that ‘not really’, that's great!”

 

“I just started, I'm barely through my first semester. And I've been volunteering more, mostly with the elderly and homeless.”

 

“Also not ‘not really’!” Junmyeon rolled his eyes when he stepped back from him. Humble to the point of ridiculousness. He rattled off some of the finer points that he thought Yixing would need before asking for the same from him. 

 

“I lead a big project with Kyungsoo for--”

 

“Kyungsoo? The polite handsome one that started the year after you?”

 

“Yea, they're thinking o--sorry the handsome one? You thought he was handsome?”

 

“Have you looked at him?”

 

Yixing had, not too long after Junmyeon left. And he could agree he was handsome. Not enough to take his mind off of the man currently leaning up against his kitchen sink but enough. He briefly entertained the idea of flirting with him and taking him out but Kyungsoo wasn’t the kind of guy you used as a rebound. He was the guy you spent all your time trying to rebound from, like the man currently leaning up his kitchen sink. ”Give him my number if he’s single.”

 

“You’re not funny,” Yixing said with a frown.

 

“I was serious, but if you won’t give it to him for me I’ll find a way to get it to him.”

 

Yixing pretended not to hear that. He pressed on with all the important details of his life that Junmyeon needed to know to make it through the dinner successfully. Meanwhile Junmyeon set around and lit some candles that he pulled out earlier, then put on a brown apron with a rabbit on the front of it. Junmyeon would be able to get away with wearing a rabbit themed apron to a semi business dinner. Why was he jumping to and from handsome and cute so much, it was stressing Yixing out.

 

“Okay, I’m ready to get this over with.” Junmyeon clapped his hands together before opening the fridge.

 

“Really, Junmyeon, thank you for this, this means a lot to me.”

 

“Don’t thank me.” Yixing smiled. “This is a pain in the ass.” He smiled too soon then. “Get on your knees and beg my forgiveness.”

 

When Junmyeon turned around he looked for evidence of joking in his expression. He failed to find it. “So you want me on my knees then?” The sudden widening of his eyes told Yixing he didn’t realize what he implied. He doubled down though, face going stern and arms crossing over his chest. “I’m not doing it!”

 

“Zhang Yixing, if you let anyone into this apartment without doing this I will make sure everyone in this apartment building knows we’re broken up and it’s not going to be nice.”

 

They got into a short staredown. Even before they started Yixing knew he wasn’t going to win it. He moved in closer to Junmyeon and sank slowly to his knees, keeping his eyes locked on Junmyeon’s. He did not let himself think about how it felt to be on his knees in front of Junmyeon again and what it could lead up to.

 

His doorbell chimed brightly, cutting into the thoughts that formed without his permission. Yixing reminded himself to focus. He clapped his hands together in a gesture of pleading and gave his best puppy dog eyes. “Please, please, my benevolent bunny deity, please have mercy and forgive me. I will build you an alter of carrots if you help me tonight.”

 

Junmyeon sputtered out a note of laughter. “Okay, okay, that’s enough for now. Let me go answer the door. Get up and get the side dishes going.” He smoothed down his apron as Yixing got to his feet and to the kitchen island. “You better knock this out of the park, because I won’t do this again, no matter what you offer me.”

 

“With you? Of course I will.”

 

A flicker of sadness crossed Junmyeon’s face. It was swept away when the doorbell rang again. Smiling again, he padded through the house and to the door. Once more he reminded himself to focus. He couldn’t afford to let himself to get too swept away in nostalgia.

 

“Baekhyun, Chanyeol, welcome welcome, come in!”

 

Yixing listened to the chorus of bright, easy greetings and laughter over Junmyeon’s apron. The voices got closer as Junmyeon apologized for the lack of fully cooked dinner smells running through the apartment, blaming it on himself running late back from the store. The apology was followed by another round of greetings when the three of them entered the kitchen.

 

“Hyung, trade apartments with me, please,” Chanyeol said as he looked around the kitchen.

 

“You’ll want it until it’s time to pay your first month of rent,” Yixing laughed before bowing to them both.

 

“But between the two of you--”

 

“You’ll want it until it’s time to pay half of your first month of rent,” Junmyeon pitched in. Baekhyun laughed.

 

“Still, it’s worth it, it’s nice.”

 

“Do you want a look around?”

 

Yixing took the two of them on the short tour, thankful that Junmyeon thought to bring pictures of his life to keep the apartment from looking like a bachelor pad. When they returned Junmyeon had drinks poured for them and they stood around the island making small talk, Junmyeon flowing in and out of the conversation as he watched all the food. After a bit Yixing started to sense Junmyeon drawing Chanyeol into their own conversation and he took it as a chance to maneuver Baekhyun to the living room so they could have their boring work talk without forcing their boyfriends to pretend to be interested in it.

 

As Yixing thought, it wasn’t as straightforward as planting Baekhyun on the couch and letting him ask some interview questions. It was still just them having a pretty average work conversation, talking about grievances and projects and failing office equipment. Just when Yixing thought his brain would break trying to figure out what bits and pieces Baekhyun was judging him on Junmyeon called him into the kitchen.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Try this, me and Chanyeol thinks there something missing.”

 

Junmyeon stood at the stove with Chanyeol at his side. Yixing pressed up against Junmyeon’s back, one hand around his waist as he looked over at the pot of stew he was stirring. He jumped a bit at Yixing's touch and went tense in his hold. Yixing pulled back when he felt it. An apology was on his lips but Junmyeon chuckled. 

 

“You scared me.” Chanyeol laughed. 

 

“You called him in.”

 

“I didn’t hear him though.” Junmyeon turned around, a spoon full of red broth in his hand. He held out the spoon to Yixing. “Taste this and tell me if it's missing something.”

 

Yixing opened his mouth for the offered sample. He licked his lips thoughtfully. “One more?” Junmyeon obliged him, looking expectantly up at him. “One more, I can't tell.”

 

Chanyeol seemed to catch onto what Yixing was doing, laughing to himself. “Ah, one more time, I think I almost have it.” The laughter and Yixing's grin gave him away. Junmyeon playfully jabbed him in the stomach, grinning himself.

 

“You get more when I'm done. Now what do you think it is?” Junmyeon’s thumb brushed up against the corner of his mouth, catching a trail of broth he couldn't lick up. He reached up to stop Junmyeon’s hand from getting away so he could kiss the spot left on the pad of his thumb. 

 

He missed this so much, simple easy affection. He wished they weren't in the middle of a business dinner so he could pull him closer and play with him some more, ask Junmyeon to try a spoonful so he could kiss away anything left behind. 

 

“Chanyeol, take some to Baekhyun.”

 

“I'm right here.”

 

Chanyeol mimicked Junmyeon’s actions with Baekhyun. “Yea, I think I know what it is, if you don’t mind me helping.”

 

Junmyeon played the game of politely refusing him a few times before giving in and letting Baekhyun push up his sleeve and mess with spices. Meanwhile Yixing went to set the table, followed by Chanyeol, who was equally uninterested in playing the denial game that their boyfriends did and took the stack of plates Yixing offered to him. While they worked Chanyeol gave him a break from the business talk by telling Yixing about how school was going for him and about all the studying he was glad to escape from for a night. 

 

“It never ends! And Junmyeon hyung says he's back in school and that he's running his bakery, he must be so stressed out.”

 

“Yes.” Yixing thought he was thinner when he saw him, that had to be the stress. “But he's chasing after what he wants, and I'm proud of him.”

 

That was the first thing that came to him when his late night snooping led him to the news of Junmyeon’s bakery, pride. Since they first met Junmyeon had been talking about opening one. Then came the regret because Yixing wanted to be at his side when it happened. He pictured a big affair, lots of promotion and potential new customers, a little spot in the paper that Junmyeon could save. Instead there was just a post on Junmyeon’s instagram with a handful of likes announcing his opening. He deserved more. Yixing should have given him more. 

 

“And I'm here for him if he gets too stressed, like Baekhyun is there for you.”

 

“But will you take these tests for me? That's what I really need.” Junmyeon came out of the kitchen, balancing a few serving bowls in his arms. Chanyeol rushed to take one. Yixing grabbed the other. 

 

“Of course. Give me your student badge, no one will notice the difference.” Junmyeon’s smile at him was warm and soft and shook his heart. He hoped that wasn't fake.

 

“You’re proud of me huh?”

 

“Always.”

 

Junmyeon kissed him on the cheek. “I'm going to enjoy this now because I have a test tomorrow and you are not going to be very proud when I get that back.”

 

“It's going to go okay hyung.”

 

“It's gonna go in the trash,” Junmyeon pouted. 

Chanyeol was sent into laughter again. Yixing set his dish on the table so he could touch the small of Junmyeon's back, offering a comforting rub. “You’ll get it.”

 

“Thank you love.”

 

Baekhyun came into the room bragging about the dish he assisted on, reminding him what the dinner was really about. Junmyeon was making it difficult to focus even if he was clearly trying to keep Yixing’s eyes on the prize. Dinner conversation jumped from work to the mundae to as much subtle flirting with Junmyeon as he would allow from Yixing. He almost wanted to kiss Baekhyun when he noticed an instance of it and encouraged it, saying how nice it was to see love and especially from another gay couple. There was a little tension to Junmyeon’s laugh when Baekhyun suggested they get together again but Yixing deflected by asking for a retelling of Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s meet cute while they had desert.

 

“You and hyung are so cute together, if you don’t mind me saying.”

  
They broke off into twos again after everyone was full. Since Baekhyun helped with the last bit of cooking Chanyeol offered to help with the dishes. Yixing joined him, leaving Baekhyun and Junmyeon playing cards in the living room. Yixing glanced over at him from the sink. He had his nose wrinkled up as he looked at his cards, muttering something too soft to hear. It made Baekhyun smile and stand up to look at what Junmyeon had. He pouted and tossed his cards down and Yixing snorted.

 

“Do you think so?”

 

“Yea.” Chanyeol took the plate Yixing handed to him, carefully turning it under the water running from the faucet. “Before Baekhyun introduced us I would alway see you guys at the parties and things and think that more than anybody you two looked like you wanted to be there with each other. Sometimes I would see you sneak a kiss or a touch and think ‘wow, he’s so in love he can’t even wait until the party is over with’.”

 

Yixing looked back over to Junmyeon and caught him sneaking a look at him too. His eyes darted back to the cards in his hand. “Ah, I realize that sounds really weird. I wasn’t trying to pay attention to you guys I just--”

 

“No, it’s fine.” Junmyeon looked back his way. When their eyes met again he winked and grinned. His heart raced like it did when Junmyeon first winked at him from across the produce section at a grocery store. Yixing just about giggled and Chanyeol almost did as well.

 

“See, cute. I hope you guys stay together.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It feels like every other week Baekhyun’s tell me about another divorce or affair scandal or something. I just hope it never happens to you two.”

 

Junmyeon was looking at him unabashedly when Yixing turned for a third time. He abandoned the dishes, drying his hands on the towel he put nearby before moving into the living room. “Baekhyun is teaching me a game and I think he’s cheating,” he said when Yixing came within earshot. “He told me--”

 

His words cut out when Yixing leaned down to kiss him. Junmyeon looked baffled when he pulled away. “Just because,” Yixing said in reply to the silent question Junmyeon was asking him. Baekhyun cooed and Yixing could hear Chanyeol doing the same from the kitchen.

 

“I think he had one more glass than he needed,” Junmyeon laughed as he stood up and wrapped an arm around Yixing’s waist. “I don’t want to be the one to spoil the night but maybe we should--”

 

“Yea, we should go. Hyung’s not the only one with a test he needs to study for.” Chanyeol shared a wink with Yixing as though he was fully aware of the alone time Yixing wanted and was perfectly happy to help him to get it. He was going to send Chanyeol the biggest thank you basket he could find when he got the chance.

 

Yixing held Junmyeon’s hand as the four of them walked to the door, exchanging goodnights. Baekhyun promised that Yixing had nothing to worry about but he would call him with news about the position before the end of next week. He also told Junmyeon to think about ‘it’ which made him laugh, although he squeezed Yixing’s hand a little tighter when he did. As soon as they were out the door they both breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Junmyeon let go of his hand so he could drop onto the couch and Yixing did the same, closing his eyes.

 

"You should be careful with Baekhyun,” Junmyeon said. “I think he wants to swing." Yixing’s eyes popped right back open.    
  
"Really?"    
  
"Yes!” Junmyeon pressed a hand to his forehead. “When we were in the kitchen finishing dinner he said oh I think Chanyeol might have a crush on you he asked after you a lot after the winter party we had. So I said no no I'm sure he doesn't he's just being nice. Then he goes I wouldn't mind if he did. I wouldn't even mind if you two went on a date." Junmyeon mimicked his awkward laughter in the moment. "To get him out of your hair for a while? Only if you took Yixing. Then he fucking winked and said think about it."    
  
Yixing held in his laughter as long as he could, but when Junmyeon looked at him like he reached the highest level of appalled that a human being could possibly be he had to let it out. "Don't laugh I wanted to jump down the sink drain. And you weren’t any help. He started at it again when we were playing cards and I was looking at you to save me but you took forever to come over."

 

“You wanted help?” Yixing said when he was able to reign in his laughter. “I thought you were making shy flirty eyes at me.”

 

“I was, but I thought you would see the underlying distress signal! I couldn’t just look at you with rescue me eyes he would have noticed.”

 

“I saved you eventually, I just wanted to enjoy the flirting for a while.” Junmyeon snorted. “Would you swing with them?”

  
After a hum of consideration Junmyeon said, “they’re both cute but it would only cause problems. You and Baekhyun would fall in love and decide me and Chanyeol need to die because we know too much. Then me and Chanyeol would need to change our names and become rice farmers in Japan. So no, better stick to fantasizing about it.”

 

“If anything Chanyeol would fall in love with you and try to kill me and Baekhyun. I believe Baekhyun when he says he has a crush on you.” He went silent for a second, letting his mind run with the dramatic fantasy for a moment. “Do you think not swinging to save our lives will affect my promotion?”

 

“No. I don’t think Baekhyun would have bothered coming over and hinting that he wanted to lend Chanyeol to me for a date if he didn’t already have you as his choice.” Junmyeon placed a hand on Yixing’s thigh, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You’ll get this, don’t worry. They know your worth. And if they don’t this is as good a time as any to find that out and move to a place that does.”

 

Junmyeon left his hand where it was as he tipped his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. Yixing stared down at his hand. Carefully he placed his own down on top of it.

 

“I’m sorry Junmyeon.”

 

“You don’t have to apologize, I didn’t really mean it.”

 

“I miss you.”

 

It was such a stupid thing that broke them up, such a small stupid thing. Yixing had just gotten home from a business trip and had barely been at the apartment for a second before being called back into the office for a favor. So he went back in, leaving the gift he bought for Junmyeon while he was away out for him. As he trudged on with making his superiors he kept thinking about that gift. He was tired and a little stressed out, but knowing Junmyeon was waiting at home with his present kept him going. He imagined the reaction he would get from Junmyeon and it kept him going a little longer. But when he got home Junmyeon hadn’t touched it. He was sitting on the couch beside it but he didn’t acknowledge it. And when Yixing pointed it out he managed to look even less interested in it. It hurt him, and that hurt pushed him to take all of his stress and anger out on Junmyeon.

 

He had been irritated because Junmyeon left because of such a small fight, over words he could barely remember. But Yixing deserved what he got for not just calling and apologizing and begging him to come back. Every time he called he picked another fight until they were wound up in anger again.

 

Junmyeon’s hand pulled out from under his, but it continued up his thigh. “Say that again.”

 

“I miss you.”

 

Junmyeon sat up and moved then until he was straddling Yixing’s lap. “Again.” 

 

“I miss you.”

 

He leaned down to kiss Yixing soft and slow and any of the lingering hate he thought he was supposed to have was gone. Yixing wrapped his arms around Junmyeon, pulling him closer. Junmyeon was back in his arms and he didn’t want him to leave again.

 

“I miss you too.”

 

\--

 

The next morning Yixing woke up thanks to Junmyeon moving around beside him in bed. “I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Junmyeon said softly.

 

“Good morning,” Yixing whispered. He took in the glory of the view of the light from his blinds shining on Junmyeon’s face and bed hair. There wasn’t a better sight. It was one he desperately wanted to see more often. Along with that sleepy grin that spread across Junmyeon’s lips.

 

“Don’t look at me like that.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Like you want to ask me to come back.”

 

Yixing was glad Junmyeon could still read his feelings so easily. He rolled over, propping himself on his elbow. “And if I did?”

 

Junmyeon sighed, a sad and defeated sound. The grin left him. “Yixing I don’t want to come back to this.”

 

“Come back to this? Why say it like that?” He sounded as though he was coming back to some nightmare place he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy. “We barely even fought until the one before you left. And you have everything you could ever want, I buy you--”

 

“That’s the thing Yixing, all I want is you. That’s why I didn’t open that gift. When you came home I wanted you and I got that instead. Because all you want is your job.” Junmyeon stood up and put his pants on as he continued. “This felt so much like a work relationship than a romantic one. If you weren’t at another meeting or business trip or another business trip or another meeting than it was something like last night. Do you realize that over the years we’ve been together the majority of our dates have been for some work function of yours? And calling them dates is really generous of me.”

 

Yixing’s gaze dropped down to the empty spot on his bed, thinking about what Junmyeon said. His eyes widened when he realized that he was right. “I meant what I said last night. I miss you too and I still love you but I want to be happy too and I’m not. I can’t be when I’m spending most of my time with you trying to put on a good show for the partners or management or trying to turn down your swinging boss in the most polite way possible. I want you to succeed, I really do, I want you to have everything you ever dreamed of, but I don’t know if that dream includes me.”

 

His heart broke because Junmyeon was right. So much of their relationship was spent with Yixing trying to climb the ladder at his job. And he used Junmyeon to help him get ahead and then just tried to buy his love and his forgiveness down the line, hoping that would be enough. Clearly it wasn’t.

 

“Don’t look like that.”

 

“Like what?” Yixing asked softly, rolling over and lying on his back. He listened to the sounds of Junmyeon walking around the room, of clothes rustling.   
  


“Like you screwed up so bad that the world is going to end.”

 

“It feels like it.”

 

“It’s not over. I’ll still be here. I’ll support you until you reach the top, I just don’t think I can do it as your boyfriend. I’m not equipped to be one half of a power couple. And at the rate you’re climbing that’s what we’ll be. Some power couple putting on appearances for the neighbors and secretly resenting each other. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if it got that far.”

 

Junmyeon’s phone chimed. Yixing couldn’t focus on the conversation he had, Junmyeon’s previous words still ringing loudly in his head. After some time Junmyeon’s appeared in his line of sight. “I have to go.” His smile was soft, hurting. “Good luck with the promotion Yixing.”

 

\--

 

“Welcome! I’ll be right with you.”

 

Yixing looked around Junmyeon’s bakery. He’d seen a few pictures of it on instagram after a bit of digging but it was much better in person. ‘The Garden’ was a fitting name for the place, it was warm and inviting just like one. Behind the glass counter in front of him stood Junmyeon, his back to him. Junmyeon’s polite smile turned to a look of surprise when he looked over his shoulder and saw Yixing. He had a smear of what had to be icing on his cheek. Cute for no reason at all.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“You left all this at my apartment last week.” Yixing held up the black bag Junmyeon had with him that night.

 

“You didn’t have to drive all the way here to drop that off. You could have called.” Junmyeon dropped the rag he was twisting in his hands onto the counter so he could take the offered bag.

 

Yixing could have called and he did call. Once. It went to voicemail and Yixing decided one failed try was enough of an excuse to make a trip to the bakery. “You also forgot this.” He dug into his pocket and placed the contract they made for the dinner on the counter. Junmyeon squinted at it like he had forgotten what it was, then made a face of sudden recognition that assured Yixing that he had forgotten what it was.

 

“I don’t need this, really.” Junmyeon pushed the paper back to Yixing. “We’re even. I wanted you to get the promotion and I did have fun that night, even with your swinging boss. Just make sure to tell them that we broke up.”

 

“No Junmyeon, I want to help with this. Because you were right. Everything was about my job and my dreams and my happiness and I’m sorry I didn’t see it until now.” Junmyeon’s smile fell, his expression going thoughtful. “I told myself that one day I would be there for you and I used it as an excuse to be selfish. I either left you alone or forced you to deal with my swinging boss and I’m surprised you didn’t leave sooner. Please, I know you don’t like when I use my money to make up for things, but this is the least I can do. I don’t want you to lose this place.”

 

Junmyeon considered the paper for a few quiet moments before crumpling it up into a ball. “Just rip my heart out then,” Yixing said with a frown that was probably more of a pout than he wanted it to be.

 

“Xing I’m not going to lose the bakery. I never was.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“I asked for this to give you a hard time.” Junmyeon reached down and chucked it into what Yixing assumed was a trash can nearby. “I’m only a payment late. I have fees to deal with, and an irritated auntie, and I might have to eat ramen for the rest of the month, but it’s nothing I haven’t done before.” Junmyeon chuckled at Yixing’s surprised look. “That why I wanted to know how you found that out. That auntie called you and overexaggerated right?”

 

Yixing thought about lying but in the end nodded his head. Junmyeon waved a hand. “She’ll get her money when I can give it to her. A dream achieved on late payments is still a dream achieved. But the gesture is appreciated, it really is.”

 

“Still, I want to be here beside you,” Yixing rushed out, wanting to get the words out of him before Junmyeon tried to shoo him away. “To help with your dreams like you did with mine. And to make you happy like you made me. I can be there, I can change Junmyeon, give me a second chance.”

 

Junmyeon pushed a hand through his hair. He looked at Yixing long and hard. Yixing gave him his best puppy dog eyes and made him snort. Then something came to mind. “How did the test go?” Junmyeon hung his head.

 

“It went straight to the bad place. I don’t know how I’m going to make it to graduation.”

 

“Just take it a test at a time,” Yixing suggested. “That was the only way I could make it. If I thought about everything I had to do to graduate all the time I would have dropped out a hundred times.”

 

“I did make a few trips to the registration office,” Junmyeon said with a stressed laugh.

 

“Why don’t I help you study?” Yixing balked at the skeptical eyebrow raise he got in response. “Hey, I was in the top ten of my class I can help! And I hear that strip studying is very effective for memorization.”

 

“Won’t you be too busy with your promotion to help?” Yixing shook his head.

 

“I make time for what’s important. I’m ashamed that I forgot, but you reminded me of what is. I love you Junmyeon, and I’ll do anything to prove it.” The way Junmyeon smiled at him made hope bloom in Yixing’s chest. 

 

“Come by at 8,” Junmyeon said. “Wear something lacy.”

 


End file.
